Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Are primary school contributions legitimate?

A cross section of
residents in Dar es Salaam especially parents and guardians have raised their
concerns over primary schools development projects contributions saying such
costs is a responsibility of the central government. The two weeks survey has discovered that a number of Dar es
Salaam’s Primary schools pupils are being asked by the school committees to
contribute for desks purchase, gardening school yard, security guards and school
blocks constructions. In schools like Jika, Mwangaza, Maarifa, Kiungani and
Kurasini in the city, parents and guardians are contributing between Sh50,000
and Sh65,000 annually for schools developments. Some parents said that such a
trend was emptying their pockets and slowing their home developments. Jacob
Majaliwa, a resident of Ukonga in the city said he was personally not happy
with such contributions because some parents have more than three pupils in the
same schools and this is costly. He said failure by the government to construct
more schools to accommodate pupils should not be a burden for parents because
they (parents) were also paying government taxes through salaries and their
businesses. Adam Masatu also a resident in the city was in view that such
contributions were embarrassing to parents because it was denying pupils who do
not contribute access to lessons. The
Head Teacher of Jika Primary School in Ilala District, Hamisi Ngoda admitted to
such contributions saying however that the said necessities are always agreed
upon by parents and their school committees. Ngoda said it was not true that the government
has boycotted its primary responsibility of issuing free education in public
primary schools as indicated in the education policy and left such a burden to
parents and guardians. He said such developments like contributions for desks
and construction of blocks is done on the parents and guardians will, after
holding discussions with the school committee where they are members. “There
are other contributions like maintaining the school yard environment, payments
of security guards, which is important in maintaining the schools surrounding
sanitary and security.

Whatever agreement is made between the school and parents,
a summary of such a report is normally sent to the municipal education officer
for documentation,” According to the
Headmistress of Mwangaza Primary school located in the city, Anna Kijuwuu, the lack
of school desks had prompted her school and the committee to find solutions for
such problems by involving parents. She said there were still a number of
pupils at her school lacking desks and becoming hard for them to concentrate in
class. “The only option to increase pupils’ desks at our school is to rely on parents
contributions and not wait for the governments funds” she said. Contacted for
comment, Ilala Municipal Education officer, Elizabeth Thomas admitted that a
number of primary schools in the city involve parents for development projects
in order to solve the challenges being faced in such schools.She
said around 17,816 pupil’s desks are needed in Ilala district alone with the
current total number of desks standing at 32,021. “Parents should not be reluctant to contribute
for their own developments because such contributions are passed by their
school committees” she said. Last week,
the Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Office responsible for education,
Kassim Majaliwa was quoted by the local media in the parliament admitting to
the governments’ lack of funds to solve primary school problems in the country.
He said it was also the responsibility of the school boards and their
committees to look on ways of reducing such problems by involving parents.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.